October Favorites

I love October! I love the crisp air, the first fires in the fireplace, the soups on the stove and wearing boots whenever possible.

I have lots to share today with y’all today — this might be my favorite FAVORITES post yet.

I’ll kick this post off by saying that my first October favorite is that brilliant Georgia sunset you see above! I was having dinner at my parent’s house and saw this sky peaking through the shutters in the kitchen. I immediately grabbed my iphone {the best camera is the one you have with you!} and ran down the street like a crazy person to capture all the majestic splendor of the sky. Doesn’t it look like the sky is on fire?! I always thought California had the best sunsets but now I’m not too sure…

Traveling with my dad.

A couple weeks ago, I got the opportunity to sign books at The Taste of Atlanta and both my dad and Adam came along. Guys, we had such a blast! It was great to spend some quality father-daughter time together, and we took Atlanta by storm. One of my favorite things we did together was explore the Atlanta History Center! All three of us {Adam, dad and I} are big American history buffs and this place was massive. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re visiting! We loved it. We also loved Holeman & Finch for dinner. If you’re there, try the Sour Account cocktail — it tastes like a boozy sour patch kid. Fabulous!

FashionABLE.

Now here’s something close to my heart. Not only are these scarves super cute and really comfy, but they are handmade in Ethiopa by local women in need. I have so much to say about FashionABLE, and was privileged enough to hear the founder of the company, Barrett Ward, speak over the weekend. It pretty much rocked the world.

FashionABLE is a nonprofit that provides sustainable employment to Ethiopian women that have been exploited in the sex trade industry. By providing work for these women, they can stay off the streets and provide for their families. Each scarf is handmade and on each tag, the woman who made it writes a short message about how your purchase supports her family. I bought two scarves over the weekend and one of the tags says how my purchase makes it possible for her to provide for her son. I just love that. Plus, they are SUPER cute!

I don’t think this is going to be the last time you hear about FashionABLE on here…or at least I hope not!

Revlon Lip Butter.

Oh, how I love thee! I recently discovered this god-send of a lipstick at the Walmart near my parent’s house. I went in for a cookie sheet and left three lip butters richer. What can I say? I couldn’t decide! The colors I got were red velvet, peachy keen and pink truffle — I think my favorite is the pink truffle. It’s the perfect not-too-light-not-too-dark-sorta-neutral pink. I love these lip butters because they give a glossy shine and leave my lips super soft. Highly recommend!

This book.

I read a couple Emily Griffin novels on my trip — they are the perfect travel books! This one, Where we Belong, was my favorite. I believe it’s her newest book out? I read it cover to cover in a matter of days and loved every page. Read it!

These gorgeous colorful necklaces from NS Pottery.

I was lucky enough to meet Natalie, the insanely talented artist behind this jewelry, at The Influence Conference last weekend. It was there that I totally fell in love with these colorful necklaces! She was kind enough to gift me a pretty red rectangle necklace that I may never want to take off again. It’s so smooth and bright! The color is just gorgeous and I love how different it is from anything else that I own. Natalie also makes beautiful rings, earrings and statement necklaces, and she sells them all in her shop. With the holidays coming up, I’m so glad I found her because I know many a girlfriend who would just loooove one of these pretties as a gift this year!

This devotional.

Sandy actually gave me this as a gift and I just love it so much. It’s a treasure of a book with little devotionals and corresponding scripture verses for every day of the year. The best part is how small the book is! It’s the perfect size to tuck into your purse and it’s one of the things I always travel with. No need to carry a heavy bible around — you can read the devotion for the day then just look up the verse on your iphone 🙂

This cool and chunky cowl with tree buttons!

Melody Joy is another one of my new friends that I met over the weekend at Influence! Anyone who has the shop name “dance parties in the rain” is someone who I want to be friends with. Plus, she is so, so, so nice. And full of joy! Imagine that! I took home this fun green chunky cowl and can’t wait to wear it with jeans and a t-shirt once it gets a tad cooler outside. I’ll be honest, the funky tree buttons totally won me over. It’s so unique and warm — kinda like your favorite blanket!

Better Life Bags.

I LOVE Better Life Bags. A couple months ago, Rebecca, the creator & owner of Better Life Bags, contacted me to see if I’d like to design a bag to carry + model at The Influence Conference. She explained the mission statement, which is to provide better the life of first generation immigrant women in her community by providing safe and stable employment. By this, she is empowering these women who otherwise would not be able to work outside of their homes. I don’t know about y’all, but that is definitely the sort of company that I want to support. Rebecca saw a need in her community and wanted to do something about it. So she did….I just love that! You can read the whole story and mission here.

Anyway, I was so excited, designed my bag, and then like a total frantic dummy, I totally forgot to pack it with me to take to the conference. Duh, Jenna. It all worked out though because I ended up purchasing the bag you see above {in a different pattern} while I was there. I seriously am counting down the days until it arrives! All Better Life Bags are totally customizable and there’s a ton of really neat fabric to choose from. The one you see above is the exact one that I bought in a different pattern. It’s made with gorgeous leather + funky cool fabric, and is large enough for your laptop, iPad, books, whatever you got. It’s the perfect messenger bag and I know I’ll use it every day since I tend to carry around my entire house in my purse. More than anything though, I love knowing that my purchase goes to a really great cause to help better the lives of those less fortunate.

This Christmas card.

Okay, so I know it’s, like, super DUPER early but how cute is this Christmas card designed by my friend, Jessi? I can personally attest to Jessi’s print design genius, as I have four of her prints framed in my house and gave one to my mom as a gift last summer. I looooooove her customizable Christmas cards this year and am forcing politely asking Adam to take a nice photo with me this week so we can make our first ever Christmas card to send to friends.

These cards by Naptime Diaries run for $20, which is a steal if you ask me. There’s limited supply so get your order in asap!

Fleur de Sel caramels from Trader Joe’s!!!

What else can I say?

Oh wait, I know — just wait till you see what I did with them come Wednesday. It’s naughty.